2 Knifepoint Sexual Assaults In 2 Days: Aberdeen Police

ABERDEEN, MD - Two sexual assaults have been reported in Aberdeen about 24 hours apart, and officials from the Aberdeen Police Department say the same suspect is believed to be involved.

Both victims were women who had arranged to meet someone during evening hours using the classified website Backpage.com. Both encountered a man armed with a knife who sexually assaulted and robbed them, police said.

Authorities described the suspect as a thin black man about 5 feet 10 inches tall who was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt in both cases. He was armed with a knife, police said. (Get news alerts from Harford County Patches and like us on Facebook.)

The first sexual assault happened on Sunday night, and the second occurred on Monday, authorities said.

• Woman Raped At Knifepoint In Aberdeen: Police

In the most recent case, police said the victim went to a home in a residential area in the unit block of Liberty Street to meet someone from Backpage.

The woman reported she was the victim of an attempted rape and armed robbery at 8:58 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 11. The suspect stole her shirt and phone in the attack, and slashed her tires, according to police.

Officials said the suspect and victim were injured in a struggle; she suffered lacerations, a puncture wound in her stomach and a head contusion. The victim was taken to Harford Memorial Hospital, where authorities said she was treated and released.

The suspect was described as a thin black man in his 20s who was about 5 feet 10 inches tall with dark brown skin. At the time of the attack, officials said he was wearing a gray pullover sweatshirt with a hood and dark-colored pants. Although the hood was over his head, police said that the man was believed to have short hair.

A little more than 24 hours earlier, a woman was the victim of a similar crime.

At 9:21 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10, a woman reported she was accosted, raped and robbed after arranging to meet someone she met on Backpage.com. She had been walking toward Carol Avenue when the suspect put a knife to her right side and escorted her to a property in the unit block of Carol Avenue, where he raped her at knifepoint, then took her money, according to police.

The suspect was described as a tall man wearing a gray jacket and face mask.

In the aftermath of the two sexual assaults, the Aberdeen Police Department advises meeting in a well-lit public place if using online dating services.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective John Divel at 410-272-2121.

File photo.